


Night's Last Most Beautiful Smile

by RighteousRiot



Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types
Genre: And Also Fall Flavored Fluff, Fluff, Just General Sappy Fluff, Late Night Shopping Trips, M/M, No Sex, PDA, exhausted boys, just fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-16
Updated: 2018-08-16
Packaged: 2019-06-28 04:16:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15699981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RighteousRiot/pseuds/RighteousRiot
Summary: They were just creeping into Fall, now, and the weather was starting to take on  a cooler edge. Blustering winds made for long nights on the couch, bundled up together with only a long list of movies and blankets between them. It meant cocoa, made right, on the stove top and breaking out the soft shirts and warm sweats that felt so nice under Steve's hands. He loved when Bucky dressed cozy like that, the flannel fabrics like an extra layer of warmth over all that hard muscle. Sometimes, Steve would even ask Bucky to leave his shirt on, later, when they were twisted up in bed together, loving how it felt against his own naked back and chest. How it made him feel extra safe and even more cocooned inside Bucky's arms.





	Night's Last Most Beautiful Smile

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BucksomeBarnes (Freckled_Halos)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Freckled_Halos/gifts).



> I dunno, man. Not a lot of plot to this one and no sexy times...I just wanted some sleepy soft boys and also I desperately need it to be fall, already. This 100+ degree weather every day is going to kill me. 
> 
> Also random gift to BucksomeBarns because I spam her inbox pretty regularly with rambly freak out comments and she's always excited instead of ya know...rightfully horrified. We also share a love of schmoopy domestic fluff so...here ya go, Buck! I feel super self-conscious doing this but I hope you enjoy it anyway!

Their schedules didn't really lend well to keeping normal society approved hours. Between the worldly threats and endless meetings, conferences and appearances, its lucky they even have time to sleep most days. With little to no free time, things like food shopping, household chores and any other errands often get pushed to the back burner until it's impossible to ignore them any further. 

Which is how Steve finds himself slowly walking down the bread isle of his local grocery at 3:00 AM on a Thursday night. Bucky is a few isles up from him, perusing god knows what and Steve wonders if he could get away with a ten minute nap. He's certainly tired enough to fall asleep on his feet, hunched over the cart like he is. And he knows he should be used to their hectic lives by now, that normally it wouldn't be such a big deal to do a little late night shopping. In fact, he often prefers it that way. The chances of being recognized and swarmed by well meaning but ultimately overwhelming crowds greatly diminishes the later into the twilight hours that they venture out. 

It's just that this morning had started out so promising. They were just creeping into Fall, now, and the weather was starting to take on a cooler edge. Blustering winds made for long nights on the couch, bundled up together with only a long list of movies and blankets between them. It meant cocoa, made right, on the stove top and breaking out the soft shirts and warm sweats that felt so nice under Steve's hands. He loved when Bucky dressed cozy like that, the flannel fabrics like an extra layer of warmth over all that hard muscle. Sometimes, Steve would even ask Bucky to leave his shirt on, later, when they were twisted up in bed together, loving how it felt against his own naked back and chest. How it made him feel extra safe and even more cocooned inside Bucky's arms. 

But it was the rain that really did him in. There was nothing quite like a dreary rain filled day to send Steve's body into instant hibernation mode. He had already had his heart set on a lazy day when the piercing alarm went off, calling them to action. Steve had a lot less fondness for the rain when he was standing knee deep in mud and trying to see his target through the foggy downpour. The battle had lasted for hours and by the end of it, everyone was soaked, dirty and miserable. Steve had been entertaining thoughts of going home and immediately crashing into bed but they had only been back at the apartment for less than ten minutes before Bucky was announcing that they had no food and no supplies and unless he wanted to drag his ass out of bed early tomorrow morning, they had better go stock up tonight. A quick change of clothes and here they were, trying to get in and out as quickly as possible. 

The sudden sharp smack to his ass had Steve jack-knifing up out of his slouch and directly into Bucky, who had materialized behind him. "Easy, there" Bucky laughed into Steve's ear, wrapping an arm around his waist as he leaned forward to toss a few items into the cart. Razors, lube, deodorant for them both. That fancy shampoo that smelled so good it practically had Steve following along behind Bucky like a lost puppy after every shower. He reached past Steve, grabbed a loaf of buttermilk bread and tossed that in too. Bucky was better at this, at treating mundane tasks like a mission to complete one step at a time. While Steve could go all day long when it came to actual battle, never tiring and never letting his mask of determination slip, he tended to get a little sleep-dumb after the fact, stumbling over basic tasks until he got a few good hours of rest in him again. 

"C'mon, Stevie" Bucky said, giving the cart a gentle push to get them going again. "We're almost done, now." Steve mumbled his agreement and shuffled after Bucky as they made quick work of the remaining isles. Bananas, apples, enough cereal to feed an army. Then meat for sandwiches, dinners and a few steaks for the grill. Veggies were last, bagged salads and potatoes getting piled on top of the heap before Bucky was declaring them finished, steering the cart and Steve, by extension, toward the nearest check out line. While they waited, Steve crowded in close to Bucky's side, let his head rest softly in the crook of his neck and soaked up the shared warmth. Bucky scritched metal finger tips at the small of Steve's back before he looped his arm around Steve's shoulders and pulled him closer, kissed the side of his face. 

They had been so alone for the whole trip that had Steve not immediately stiffened in the cradle of his arm, Bucky would have thought the scoff heard behind them was just his imagination. He took a quick glance over his shoulder and couldn't help but roll his eyes. Typical...over compensating tough guy who just couldn't stand to see two men together. Didn't these people have anything better to do with their lives? It was stupid and he couldn't give a shit less what some random asshole thought of them but he knew, tired or not, that Steve was only seconds away from spinning around to lay into the jackass for his disrespect. He also knew it would extend their stay at the store by at least twenty minutes, _if_ it didn't erupt into an all out fight and that wasn't what either of them needed right now. 

Taking his arm from around Steve's shoulders, Bucky placed his hand at the base of his neck instead and kneaded at the muscles there. Thought about the love bites and fading bruises that he knew were there, even without looking and let his fingers catch a little harder in the collar of Steve's shirt, pull it aside to show little hints of the love roughened skin. "Let it go, Steve" he said, using his other hand to take hold of Steve's chin and tip his face up. "Relax, huh? He ain't worth shit to either of us and you know it's not worth the trouble. No one's mind is getting changed tonight." 

Steve's brows furrowed, never able to just let _any_ injustice go for even a second. "Buck..." he said in protest, already trying to shake free of Bucky's grasp and turn toward the stranger. "He shouldn't be allowed to make people feel uncomfortable like that, its not right." But before Steve could get himself free Bucky had swept in with a kiss, pressing his lips hard but chaste against Steve's. He lingered for a minute before pulling back, placing a few more small kisses to Steve's face. Under his fluttering eyelids, the bridge of his nose and one corner of his lush mouth. It was a show at the same time that it wasn't. Partly Bucky showing off, maybe being a bit of a dick in the face of being judged by some bigoted asshole. Partly just the absolute truth that it could be anyone, God himself, standing beside them and Bucky would still kiss Steve when and where he wanted. Wouldn't ever feel an ounce of shame for it, either. 

"I know that, Stevie" he said, breathing the words into the small space between their mouths. "But I just wanna go home, okay? Lets just get out of here. Fuck him." It was playing dirty, appealing to Steve like that. Making out like he would be doing Bucky a favor if he let it go just this once. But Bucky was okay with that. He was okay playing a little dirty sometimes if it meant keeping them safe and healthy and right now Steve needed sleep more than he needed to make some jackass sorry for ever opening his mouth.

They paid for their groceries and then they were finally done. As they turned to leave, Bucky curled his arm back around Steve's waist, pulling him close again, still showing off a little. Then they were sprinting across the parking lot, bags split between them, through the frigid downpour. Bucky drove, since they had taken his truck and Steve took his seat belt off halfway home, scooting across the bench seat until he could press close to Bucky's side. Could curl under his arm like all the girls used to do back in their day, riding to or from a date. "Love you a whole helluva lot, Buck" he said, quiet like a secret. Bucky smiled and ran his fingers through the soft hairs at the base of his neck. "I love you too, Stevie" he said. "More than anything else."

When they got home, the groceries were quickly stashed in their appropriate places and then Bucky was hustling a rapidly fading Steve off to bed. They had worn their sleep clothes to the store, knowing there wouldn't be many other people out and so the end of the night prep was easy. They took turns in the bathroom and then Steve was sitting on the edge of the bed, stripped down to his boxer briefs and waiting for Bucky to finish puttering around the bedroom. "Hey Buck" he said, catching him as he went to walk past, hands at the hem of his shirt to strip it off. Steve ran his hands over the soft fabric, bunching it up in his fingers. "Leave this on, okay?"

Bucky grinned full out this time, his eyes shining with all the love he had for Steve. "Okay, doll" he said, shooing Steve further up the bed and under the covers. Bucky followed him in, wrapping both arms around Steve and pulling him in tight. Steve was pliant and molded easily to the curves of Bucky's body. He pressed his face into Bucky's neck, bunched his hands back in his shirt and felt all the tense muscles in his body finally start to relax. He felt safe. He felt at home. Within moments, they were both fast asleep. 

And the rain continued relentlessly, long into the night.

**Author's Note:**

> Come say hi on tumblr!  
> http://righteousriot.tumblr.com/


End file.
